Be a man and remember Women’s Day

The recipe for eternal love is written in Italian

The Savonlinna Opera Festival’s Italian classics feature some of the most passionate scenes and the best-known melodies in all operatic literature. Here, now, is your chance to wrap up a present to celebrate International Women’s Day (March 8) and bring summer one degree closer.

The Opera Festival first added a long-awaited production of La traviata to its repertoire in summer 2013. By popular request, the best-loved opera by Giuseppe Verdi is now back on the programme with five performances. The leading character is the courtesan Violetta Valéry, whose soaring arias are a test for even the finest singer. Luckily Savonlinna has two radiant sopranos well able to rise to the challenge: Canadian Joyce El-Khoyry (on July 20 & 25 and August 1) and Romanian-born Aurelia Florian (on July 23 & 29).

The title role in Tosca is many a singer’s dream. Making her youthful dream come true this summer in Savonlinna is Finnish star Johanna Rusanen-Kartano (on July 21 & 28). Alternating with her will be Russian soprano Elena Pankratova (on July 18, 24 & 31). Once heard, the music of Tosca is hard to forget: such operatic ‘hits’ as Recondita armonia, Vissi d’arte and E lucevan le estelle.